The Neuroscience of Addiction and Prevention:
The Impact of Substance Use on the Adolescent Brain: SELF-PACED ONLINE

The growing gap between biological and environmental evolution presents a unique opportunity for exploring the human brain, its strengths, and vulnerabilities in an interactive and stimulating way. To really understand substance use disorders (and use that understanding to increase resiliency) we must first understand the brain, especially the evolutionary constraints that have shaped its fundamental structures and functions. This presentation has been developed and repeatedly tested with different audiences by the presenter as a friendly yet rigorous science-based universal education and prevention tool. The presentation builds on the growing neuroscientific understanding of human behavior to explain the intrinsic vulnerabilities that emerge from the interaction between biological and environmental factors and the impact that drugs of abuse have on brain circuitry and behavior.    

Presented by: Ruben Baler, Ph.D.

Dr. Ruben Baler joined the Science Policy Branch in NIDA’s Office of Science Policy and Communications in October 2004 as a Health Science Administrator. His early publications focused on gene promoter architecture and gene expression in the brain’s clock. At NIDA, he writes and lectures about the neurobiology of drug abuse and addiction for a range of audiences. Dr. Baler has gathered critical insight from diverse disciplines, which he combines to advance NIDA’s scientific mission as it intersects with cellular and molecular biology, genetics, immunology, bioinformatics, neuroscience, and neuroethics. Dr. Baler’s many contributions to other dissemination efforts include scientific writing (English and Spanish), teaching, public speaking to lay audiences, and fielding interview requests for a variety of print, radio, and broadcast media outlets. Prior to coming to NIDA, Dr. Baler worked at the National Institute of Mental Health, where he conducted basic research on the molecular basis of circadian gene expression in vertebrates. He received his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Molecular Biology from the University of Miami in 1993 and completed his postdoctoral training at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, specializing in Molecular Chronobiology.

Continuing Education Units: 1 CEUs
This learning event is approved for continuing education by the following professional organizations:

National

• National Association of Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC)

• International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC)

Nevada

• Nevada Board of Examiners for Alcohol, Drug, & Gambling Counselors

• Board of Examiners for Marriage and Family Therapists and Clinical Professional Counselors

• State of Nevada Board of Examiners for Social Workers

Presentation materials are not for reproduction or distribution without specific written authorization. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in our courses are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of CASAT.

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